Asian Games: We Hope For The Gold Medal For The Country, Says Indian Spinner Shahbaz Ahmed

Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed on Wednesday said Indian cricket team will look to win gold in what would be their official debut at the Asian Games.

He commented on the fact that cricket is being represented in having the chance to win a yellow metal is a matter of great pride.

This is the second time the men’s cricket team will play in a multi-sport event. The Indian men’s cricket team played at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in a 50-over format. The matches, however, were not accorded international status and were recorded as List A games.

“Our tournament starts for us from the quarter-final stages. All the teams would be good and well prepared. We hope for the gold medal for the country,” Shahbaz Ahmed told a YouTube channel ‘Cricket Basu’.

The BCCI last week announced a 15-member Indian men’s cricket team and five standby players for the upcoming Asian Games 2023, scheduled in Hangzhou, the People's Republic of China, from September 23 to October 8.

The men’s cricket event at the Asian Games 2023, to be played in the T20 format, will take place from September 28 to October 8. All the matches will be played at the Zhejiang University of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field.

Men’s Team: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh (wicket-keeper)

Standby players: Yash Thakur, Sai Kishore, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Sai Sudarsan

“How Kohli was super-confident of RCB ’s play-off chances!” Shahbaz Ahmed reveals

Days after the Royal Challengers Bangalore lost to Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Virat Kohli took it upon himself to take his team to the 2023 IPL playoff.

Although, Virat scored two centuries in next three games, RCB couldn’t qualify for the knock-out stages.

“Our combination (RCB) got into a problem after we kicked off well. We lost a game in Mumbai and Delhi. We had a situation in the team on how to qualify for the play-offs. Kohli said that the forthcoming three matches will be mine and see how I perform. Then in the Rajasthan game, there was very little scope to score big runs but he scored two back-to-back centuries. Kohli is so ready for the game that he knows when he is going to score big” one of RCB’s mainstay left-arm spinner Shahbaz said.

The Bengal all-rounder also spoke about the training methods of Kohli before the 2023 IPL began. 

"The way he trains is unique. We used to watch his batting style closely and it changed after the T20 World Cup. It is not difficult for him. I wonder what he eats. He told us that he has trained for six months over and above his regular schedule. He told us that he did special training for T20 cricket.

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“It's also very tough to bowl against Kohli in the nets and during match scenarios. He is truly special.”